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Multidimensional Raman Spectroscopic Signatures as a Tool for Forensic
Identification of Body Fluid Traces: A Review

Volume 65, Number 11 (Nov. 2011) Page 1223-1232

VITALI SIKIRZHYTSKI, ALIAKSANDRA SIKIRZHYTSKAYA, AND IGOR K. LEDNEV

The analysis of body fluid traces during forensic investigations is a critical step in determining the key details of a crime. Several confirmatory and presumptive biochemical tests are currently utilized. However, these tests are all destructive, and no single method can be used to analyze all body fluids. This review outlines recent progress in the development of a novel universal approach for the nondestructive, confirmatory identification of body fluid traces using Raman spectroscopy. The method is based on the use of multidimensional spectroscopic signatures of body fluids and accounts for the intrinsic heterogeneity of dry traces and donor variation. The results presented here demonstrate that Raman spectroscopy has potential for identifying traces of semen, blood, saliva, sweat, and vaginal fluid with high confidence.